The Maryland Senate Finance Committee has approved a bipartisan measure to easy certain requirements for becoming a security guard in the legal cannabis industry.

Senate Bill 299 was introduced on January 10 by State Senators Mary Carozza (R) and Brian Feldman (D), and was approved today by the Finance Committee. The bill would eliminate the requirement for state and national criminal history records checks for security guards working for marijuana businesses, provided they are already authorized under Maryland’s existing security guard regulations.

Current law mandates that all marijuana agents, including security personnel, register with the Maryland Cannabis Administration and undergo background checks. However, this can cause issues given marijuana is illegal federally. SB 299 amends this law by allowing security guards employed by marijuana businesses or licensed security agencies to bypass this requirement if they are authorized under Title 19, Subtitle 4 of the Business Occupations and Professions Article.
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Washington’s Senate Labor & Commerce Committee has scheduled a vote on Senate Bill 5403, which would allow marijuana producers and processors to sell directly to consumers.

Introduced on January 21 by State Senators Rebecca Saldaña (D), Deborah Krishnadasan (D), and T’wina Nobles (D), the legislation would allow licensed marijuana producers and processors to sell marijuana flower directly to consumers, provided the products are limited to those produced by the licensee. These direct sales would need to comply with existing purchase limits for adults 21 and older, which include up to one ounce of usable marijuana or seven grams of marijuana concentrate, among other restrictions.

The proposed bill would require direct-to-consumer sales to include the state’s 37% marijuana excise tax, with prices and advertisements clearly reflecting the added cost. The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board would have the authority to establish security and operational rules for these sales, but the regulations could not be more stringent than those imposed on retail licensees.
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Missouri marijuana sales in January fell short of December’s record-breaking total, but remained strong.

Data released today by the Missouri Department of Health and senior Services shows that there was a total of $122.88 million worth of licensed marijuana sales in January. The vast majority of these sales —$108.17 million—was purchased by recreational consumers. Medical marijuana patients purchased $14.71 million worth of product during the same period.

January’s marijuana sales resulted in over $10 million in taxes for the state. In 2024, the stater garnered over $120 million in taxes from over $1.3 billion in total sales.
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A DEA official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, says the agency is still moving forward with rescheduling marijuana, despite delays that have raised concerns among supporters.

The official described the process as “delayed, but certainly not dead” and emphasized that Acting Administrator Derek Maltz has made it clear internally that he does not intend to halt the reform effort.

According to the official, Maltz has assured DEA personnel that “it’s not my intention to kill rescheduling,” signaling that the agency remains engaged in the review process. However, the timeline remains uncertain, with a DEA judge recently cancelling a series of public hearings that were set to begin on January 21 and run through March 6. The judge set a 90-day timeline to reassess the situation.
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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is proposed to more than triple the state’s excise tax on recreational marijuana sales.

In order to fund $3 billion in needed road repairs, the governor is proposing a series of tax increases. One of those increases would impact recreational marijuana sales, with the governor wanting to increase the excise tax on such sales from the current rate of 10%, to 32%. This would give marijuana products the same tax rate as tobacco products.

If implemented, Michigan would have the second highest marijuana tax rate in the nation, with only Washington’s 37% being higher.
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In January, licensed marijuana stores in Connecticut sold $23,585,404 worth of marijuana and marijuana products.

According to data released today by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, there was $17,218,699 in recreational marijuana sold in December in addition to $6,366,705 worth of medical marijuana. The combined $23,585,404 marks a slight decrease from the record-breaking $25.4 million sold in December, but still marks a solid start to the year.

Connecticut legalized marijuana in 2021, and retail sales began in January 2023. Adults 21 and older may possess up to 1.5 ounces in public and store up to 5 ounces in a secured space. Home cultivation is allowed, with a household limit of six plants, of which up to three can be mature. Marijuana and related products are available through licensed retailers and dispensaries.
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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has vacated a three-year prison sentence for a man convicted of possessing a firearm while using marijuana, determining that the government’s ban on gun ownership for drug users cannot be applied indiscriminately.

The ruling by the court found that while restricting firearm access for certain drug users may be constitutional, a blanket prohibition is now. The court’s opinion, issued Wednesday, emphasized that firearm restrictions must be based on an individual’s specific circumstances rather than broad categorization.
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Tennessee’s Senate Bill 489, known as the Medical Cannabis Act, has been “Passed on Second Consideration” and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for further review.

Sponsored by State Senator Janice Bowling (R) and filed on January 29, the bill would establish a regulated medical marijuana program in Tennessee. It outlines a framework for cultivation, production, distribution, and patient access via licensed dispensaries, creating a Tennessee Medical Cannabis Program Commission to oversee licensing and compliance. The program would track seed-to-sale cannabis operations.

Under the proposed legislation, patients with qualifying conditions such as cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, PTSD, and chronic pain would be eligible to receive a medical cannabis card, allowing them to purchase, posses and use medical marijuana and a variety of marijuana products.
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